Middle School

Can a common girl save a prince trapped in the Tower of London?
April. England. 1483. The king is dead. Long live the king.
Nell Gould is the daughter of the royal butcher, a commoner, but she has been raised as the playmate of King Edward and Queen Elizabeth’s royal Princess Cecily, Princess Bess, Prince Dickon, and Prince Ned, heir apparent and Nell’s best and closest friend. They think alike, her and Ned, preferring books and jousts to finery and gossip and the sparkle of the court. But when King Edward dies, Prince Ned is imprisoned in the Tower of London by his scheming uncle, the evil Richard III—and Nell with him. Can they escape? Is Nell the key?

Based on true events in England between 1470 and 1485 and the royal scandal of the Princes in the Tower, this excellent work of historical fiction is the author’s creative take on what happened. If you already know the history of what happens, good for you. If you don’t, I won’t give away any spoilers.

The story starts out happy and light-hearted but then turns into a royal tragedy full of drama, betrayal, and backstabbing. It’s like a Shakespeare play, but you can understand what everyone is saying.

The author does a wonderful job immersing you in medieval England, portraying many aspects of late 15th-century living. It was an age where people married way too young, probably because back then, you were lucky to live to see forty. If you were royal, marriages were arranged and were about political alliances, not love.

History was never my best subject in school. Too many names and dates to keep straight. And this book is chock full of history. So many dukes and nobles and princes and princesses are mentioned. It was hard to keep track of all their names and royal titles. It was all so confusing, but I still loved it.

I recently read another historical fiction set 200 years before this story takes place. It was Catherine, Called Birdy (see my review here: https://amazingartists.online/catherine-called-birdy-by-karen-cushman/), and I liked Nell much more than Catherine. Nell Gould is a strong, intelligent, capable young woman. Catherine was way too whiny. Plus, Nell’s narrative style has a much better flow than Catherine’s diary format.

To learn what is based on historical facts and rumors and what the author made up for the story, be sure to read The Historical Facts (And Some Rumors) and A Note on Events at the end of the book.